2012

This exhibition is a collection of new works made over the past eighteen months. I have found that shifting from one material to another and exploring different ideas is both challenging and exhilarating.

Lotus vault, 2011, and two other smaller works were inspired by a special room in the Jameh mosque, a magnificent 12th century building in Isfahan, which I visited while travelling in Iran two years ago with Angela and our son Nassiem. I came across a series of five vaulted brick ceilings and my first reaction was that there were similarities to some indigenous Australian art. I have reproduced these brickwork patterns in lotus leaves and in the smaller works in natural ochres. The works allude to the universality of geometry and pattern. I also thought about the state of mind of the builders of these magnificent ceilings.

The image for In my mother’s hands, 2011, was found in my cousin’s family photo album. Although I remember the photo from my earlier years I had not noticed the hands that stopped me from falling over. By colouring them I have emphasized the connections to mother and mother-land.

Passing time, 2011, is a video work made in collaboration with Nassiem. The work is an image of my hands and fingers continuously forming and reforming the infinity sign. The black box with its well-like cone is an integral part of the work. It allows the viewer to see the work from different angels and creates a sense of intimacy.